In the early 1970's, American International Pictures wanted to jump on the Blaxploitation film band wagon started by such films as SHAFT(1971), SUPERFLY(1972) and COTTON COMES TO HARLEM(1969) by making such similar films such as COFFY & FOXY BROWN( both made in 1972) starring Pam Grier, SLAUGHTER(1972) with Jim Brown and BLACK CAESAR(1972) with Fred Williamson,But it was the BLACULA films starring Black Shakesperian actor William Marshall that started the short lived but popular Blaxploitation horror films including DR.BLACK AND MR. HYDE(1973), ABBY(1974), SUGAR HILL (1974),BLACKENSTEIN(1973)& J.D.'S REVENGE(1974)
BLACULA(1972)*** out of **** Directed by William Crain Starring William Marshall,Vonetta McKee, Denise Nicolas,Thalmus Rasulala,Gordon Pinsett,Emily Yancy,Charles Macaulay,Elisha Cook Jr. Rated PG 93 minutes Released by MGM/UA Home Video
BLACULA starts in the 1770's when African Prince Mamuwalde played by William Marshall and his wife Luba played by Vonetta McKee are visiting the infamous Count Dracula at his castle in Transylvania to enlist his help to stop the slave trade.But when Dracula(played by Charles Macaulay)refuses to help them,both Mamuwalde and his wife discover that their host is the King of Vampires who vampirizes Mamuwalde and christens him with the name of "Blacula". Then Count Dracula encloses Mamuwalde in a coffin covered by chains and locks him and his wife Luba in a dungeon for the next 200 years. Then in 1972, two American gay interior decorators buys Castle Dracula with all it's belongings including Mamuwalde's coffin. They bring to America and when they open the coffin, they are both attacked and bitten by the revived Mamuwalde. Then the vampire encounters a young girl named Tina(also played by McKee) who is the reincarnation of his wife Luba and he decides to go after her, despite the fact that Tina's friends and family are ready to do battle against the black vampire. The film benefits from the marvelous portrayal of Marshall as Blacula who both alternately plays his character with dignity and pathos as well with ferocity and scariness in his vampire mode.Crain who directed the film(being the first Black film director to do a horror film) does demonstrate assuredness in both the horror sequences and the black humor that is abundant in the film. It is a real pity that AIP didn't take advantage of giving more horror film roles to Marshall beside the black exorcism film ABBY (1974) since he could have been the first Black horror film star equivalent to fellow stars Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.The DVD of this film is in anamorphic widescreen with the film's theatrical trailer as the DVD's only extra.
SCREAM,BLACULA,SCREAM(1973)**1/2 out of **** Directed by Bob Kelljan Starring Willam Marshall, Pam Grier,Don Mitchell, Richard Lawson,Michael Conrad,Lynn Moody,Bernie Hamilton,Craig Nelson,Barbara Rhoades, Rated PG 96 minutes Released by MGM/UA Home Video
After the great box office success of the first BLACULA film, AIP followed with this immediate sequel bringing back William Marshall reprising his role as the black vampire Mamuwalde, but this time teamed up with AIP's reigning action queen Pam Grier of COFFY/FOXY BROWN fame.Also the film was directed by Bob Kelljan who directed the two previous Count Yorga films since Blacula's previous director William Crain was not available to direct the sequel because he was busy directing the blaxploitation horror film DR. BLACK AND MR. HYDE(1974) starring Bernie Casey in the title roles. The sequel has Blacula being revived by a rival voodoo master who wants revenge against the new Voodoo queen played by Pam Grier who replaced him as the reigning voodoo master of New Orleans. But Blacula vampirizes the voodoo master as well as his supporters and friends since his plans is to enlist the help of the new Voodoo queen to use her powers to cure him of his vampiric condition instead of killing her. The voodoo queen's boyfriend enlists the help of the police to storm Blacula's mansion to save his girlfriend which leads to a final bloody battle between Blacula's undead legions and the police.Although Marshall is still excellent in his portrayal as Blacula/Prince Mamuwalde,the film suffers from being a clone of the Count Yorga films since director Kelljan uses the same tricks and shock techniques used in the Yorga films , especially in the scenes in which Blacula stalks and attacks his victims the very same way Count Yorga attacks his victims. Also the final third of the film in which the police storm Blacula's mansion to battle in an unsatisfactory manner Blacula's vampires is staged the same exact manner Kelljan did in his two Yorga films.It is also unfortunate that Pam Grier is misused in the film since her performance as the voodoo queen lacks the fire and the passion Grier demonstrated in both COFFY & FOXY BROWN and it doesn't help that she plays her role more as a helpless victim than a forceful female.Because of these faults, this Blacula sequel underperformed at the box office bringing the end of any more Blacula films.The DVD presents the film in anamorphic widescreen with the only DVD extra being the theatrical trailer.
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